Pet Connections

Charlie and Latasha Batch and The Best of the Batch Foundation

By Carla Mader Charlie Batch, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, is currently a color analyst and radio personality for The Steelers, CBC Pittsburgh, and WDVE Radio. Charlie, and his wife, Latasha founded the Best of the Batch Foundation in 1999. Latasha currently serves as the Executive Director of Best of the Batch Foundation. The Best of […]

Angie Mader 2003-2015

Angie came to us through my job, at an animal hospital where I was working at the time as a manager. My boss and managing veterinarian bred English Labrador Retrievers for guide dogs. We had a month previously adopted Cyndi from her, a 1-1/2 year old black female returned by a former owner.  Cyndi was […]

The Western PA Humane Society

Open Doors ~ Open Hearts  The Western PA Humane Society is Greater Pittsburgh’s center for pet ownership.  Preventing cruelty to animals is at the root of our charter, but beyond that, we provide services every day for pet owners throughout their pet’s lifecycle.    Life at an urban open-door animal shelter can be complicated because our animals do not have a […]

Art & Photography Spotlight

Animal welfare has always been a driving influence in April Minech’s life. With a starting role as a shelter dog walker 15 years ago, she began a journey that would merge her background, love of animals and artistic abilities into the distinct work she produces today. From the early days of volunteering, Ms. Minech knew […]

In Loving Memory

Cyndi “Licker” 2002-2017 We adopted Cyndi when she was 1-1/2 years old in February 2004, from a veterinarian that I worked for in Ohio. She was bred to be a service dog, but had a congenital hip malformation. Cyndi had more than the typical Labrador Retriever boisterous personality! My husband immediately fell in love with […]

DogtoberFEST

By April Minech So, what is DogtoberFEST?  Hosted by CARMAA (Coalition to Adopt, Rehome and Match Abandoned Animals) A FREE event that celebrates pets and provides everything you need to know about adoption in a festival environment.  It’s dog friendly, so you can bring your non-aggressive pet along, and there’s over 100 shelters, rescues and […]

Judge’s Park Small Animal Rescue

By April Minech Photo credits: Kim Lenz, Behind the Lenz Photography Where can you find bunnies, guinea pigs, rats and an occasional cat? Judge’s Park! Working from her home, Jen Kilmer started her small animal rescue in college around 2004 and named it after her soul-horse, Judge Park. “I started with guinea pigs and kept […]

Great to be Ginger!

Ginger is a happy, high spirited-3 legged beagle that my son and I rescued from Animal Friends when she was one years old, although it must be said that I only went there that day to see their new shelter on the North Side of Pittsburgh, PA, with my ex-husband since he is the one […]

A Home for Cesara by/ Edward R. Moats

We have all heard stories regarding pet adoption that tend to tug at our heartstrings. Recently, I met a family that shared their story of adoption that truly touched my heart. But before I continue with this adoption story, I need to give you a little back history regarding a sweet American Staffordshire Terrier and […]

Intertwined – A Dog’s Life and the Heart it Belongs To

When we start a new chapter in our lives with an animal, we aren’t always aware of how profoundly that journey will affect us. Sure, we know of the daily things – feeding, cuddling, company, probably cutesy nicknames and more pics on our phones than family. But the little niche they carve out in our […]